2.28.2013

Mobile virtual world "LINE Play" of Japanese popular messaging apps LINE broke through 4 million users. LINE Play pre-opened November 21, 2012 and grand opened on December 18. They got 1 million users during the period. Furthermore, they broke through 2 million users from grand opening in 1 month. The speed is terrible. Probably it is fastest in the virtual world of Japan.

LINE Play is the cute 2D virtual world. To be frank, there is not the new element. It resemble the virtual world of square views such as Ameba Pigg. However, its UI is optimized for smartphones. They released an English version on February 20 and probably it helped 4 million user breakthroughs.

More curiously, men present some sweets to women on March 15. It is called "White day". The idea of sweets companies succeeded. Japan of February and March is full of sweets.

Then, cafe "FabCafe" in Shibuya which has a laser cutter and 3D printer will hold an workshop event in March. Only a men can participate in it. This matches with an event of last month. They make gummy with 3D scanner and 3D printer this time.

The workshop fee is 6,000 yen(about 65USD). However, it became full in a 1day because it was too popular.

It has been already carried out in the world that making own figure with 3D scanner and 3D printer. However, probably it is only in Japan to making own sweets with 3D scanner and 3D printer. I think that it is interesting that they hold this as a workshop for children.

2.27.2013

However, they go into Anime industry more. Yahoo!Japan's subsidiary GyaO and GREE establish a company running a fund to invest in anime industry "Future contents partners Co., Ltd." on May 31. The financing ratio is GyaO 50%: GREE 50%.

GyaO provides VOD service and the many animes are included in that. They utilize works created by their investment with more various genres. They may become the social game and distribute on the internet. Furthermore, they open anime information portal site. However, these are not new.(We can say the red ocean). Originality is necessary for them challenge.

Their hit game is not only "Puzzle & Dragons". Gungho's smartphone game "Keri-Hime Sweets"(Kick Princess Sweets) broke through 2M downloading.

Keri-Hime Sweets is a sequel of Keri-Hime quest(This is the popular smartphone game that broke through 2.2M downloading, too). This is the game that combined an RPG and puzzle(his genre is very popular now in Japan). The princess kick vassals and fights against monsters. The game system resembles Angry Birds. However, graphic of this is 3D. And this has many new elements.

The most important points of this are Cute(Kawaii). Princess, vassals, all the monsters are cute. Therefore Gungho held the popularity vote event of vassals for users. As a result, the most popular vassal was Samurai.

In addition, we can enjoy the fashion coordinates of the princess. This is popular with woman users. I think that Gungho sells real goods of Keri-Hime Sweets like Puzzle & Dragons.

The messaging apps war in Japan becomes more intense. CyberAgent released messaging apps for girls of the teenager "DECOLINK".

"DECOLINK" is free messaging apps for smartphones that can exchange messages to up to 100 people at the same time.

DECOLINK provides all 10,000 kinds of decoration stamps in free of charge. they are very cute and teen girls seem to like them. Characters of the social game of CyberAgent are included in them, too.

LINE proved that the stamps of the messaging apps attracted a users. Therefore a lot of other messaging apps(Kakao Talk, DeNA's comm etc...) makes efforts in a stamps. However, the popular stamps exceeding characters of LINE does not readily come out. On the other hand, DECOLINK focus on only young girls. Will the tactics succeed?

This time, they aim at the business event of the world high class. Therefore they strengthen each Asian local government office and game-related industrial cooperation with the group more and invite many powerful companies. Furthermore, they found the "Business startup corner" for the venture company and promote industrial activation.

And they offer a new element to general guests. At first, they enlarge a meeting place and aim at the cancellation of the congestion. And they add six display corners newly "Cyber Games Asia", "Cloud Gaming", "Dating Sim for Women（乙女ゲーム）", "Cos-Play", "Indies Game", "Game-related Movie".

One of the big problems that events of Japan have is foreign language support, but they challenge this. They will strengthen overseas promotion in future and perform the English support of the official video channel.

The force of Japanese popular smartphone game "Puzzle & Dragons" is terrible. It broke through 9 million downloading just recently and became the social game to earn most in Japan now. Therefore, they holds fan thanksgiving event in the prism hall of the Tokyo Dome city on April 29.Gungho, developer of Puzzle & Dragons thinks about the crossmedia of the social games like other companies. They sell the goods of game characters by this event. However, I think that it is difficult to participate in this event. Because there are too many fans of Puzzle & Dragons. The summary of the event is not yet announced, but event will be surely crowded very much.

In addition, Gungho opens the mail order site of Puzzle & Dragons goods "Pazz-Dra Ya（パズドラ屋）"on March 15. Teaser site is here.

2.24.2013

Japanese game designer and musician Kenji Eno passed away in February 20 at the age of 42. He died of heart failure, induced by high blood pressure. Japanese apps developer Route24 did the iOS apps that he composed BGM in free of charge for mourning.

These are the game apps that Route24 CEO Kenichi Nishi and Kenji Eno developed. First works "newtonica" was released in 2008. Because iPhone was just released in Japan at the time, this became the topic immediately.

These were 450 yen until now. Route24 wishes many people enjoy the works which Kenji Eno was engaged in.

To be frank, the growth of the social game market is slowing down in Japan. Therefore GREE advances for the next step. Clinoppe is the cute pet game which GREE developed, and they make this an TV anime.

Clinoppe is a social game that bring up small mysterious creature "Clinoppe" that discovered in the Indian mountain. It is popular with women of 20-30 generations. This TV anime expresses the daily life of a young woman of the office worker and Clinoppe. It adds original elements to it while assuming a social game a subject.

In addition, the subsidiary GREE entertainment products of GREE release goods of Clinoppe.

They sell 32 kinds of Clinoppe goods from next month and develop a prize at a game arcade. Goods site is here.

This business is already classic in Japan. It is Nameko Saibai Kit series and LINE recently to hold profit below it most. And characters of a round shape are popular in Japan. I think that the goods of Clinoppe may become popular.

2.16.2013

A lot of Namekos! Japan has a product genre called "Shokugan(食玩)" which put a small toy and a snack or candy together. These are Shokugan of Nameko.

I bought 2 packs of "Namekyu". Various mini-figures of Nameko are in this at random.

I got Golden Nameko(Ancient Egyptian style Nameko) and Galerina fasciculata(Poison mushroom). I wanted normal Nameko..., but these are high qualities and cute! Furthermore, these are usable as mobile accessories.

Kawaii! :D They have a suction pad, so we can fix them anywhere. Namekyu is 300 yen(about 3USD). I want to collect more these.

Now, they release the social game that existing porn stars appear. This is "Girls Hellfire".

Japanese does not love only the virtual girls(but PLAYBOY Japanese edition ceased to publish it). There are many popular porn stars in Japan. Therefore DMM devised J-style card social game using their photos.
card social games using photos existed a lot so far. Idol groups and athletes are very popular in particular. DMM applied it to a porn stars. GREE and Mobage can never develop such a social game. Because, their platform for "all age". However, originally DMM was adult only.
On the other hand, there is such an opinion, "Is it a fun to watch a porn star with a small screen of the mobile?". Surely, mobile screen is smaller than TV and PC. However, I think that the really personal space is only in mobile. It is hard to hide a book and the DVD from the eyes of the family. There are a lot of people who share a PC with a family. The people of the one living have the risk discovered them by their sweetheart. It will be very awkward. However, the mobile is completely a personal possession. It has fewer risks than them to enjoy porn contents in mobile.

2.13.2013

Japanese social game developers grope for the next stage of the J-Style social RPG. Gungho's "Puzzle & Dragons" -broke through 8 million downloading- was epoch-making. The titles which put social RPG and a puzzle together mimicking it increased. Afterwards, social RPG + slot, social RPG + coin dozer, social RPG + pinball, social RPG + poker...etc... Every combinations are tried. Therefore the Geisha Tokyo entertainment released interesting iOS game. This is "Brain Training Quest".

This is the game that combined study and social RPG.

The kinds of the question are different every labyrinth. This is a question to assemble a letter. We are attacked by monsters when we do not decipher a question immediately.

When we answer fast, we can attack monsters.

These are questions of the arithmetic. It is an elementary school lower grades level, However, it is difficult to calculate hastily :(

When we answer it in questions fast, we can get various items.

Furthermore, we can make the weapons, protective gears and accessories of the avatar using them. The avatar is very cute! We can enjoy the changing clothes of the avatar with adventure, too.

I think that this is a game suitable for an infant. Or we may recommend this to elderly people.